One year after a first Government proposition to regulate fracking, the German Parliament has voted today draft law to minimise risks in fracking process. Adopted by 435 votes in favour and 109 against, the text amends the water and land protection Act and introduces three main consequences:
– Ban unconventional fracking and conventional drilling not permitted in zones supplying water for consumption;
– Lawmakers to review the ban in 2021;
– Give German local authorities a veto right in whether to allow conventional fracking on their territory.

Can we call that an anti-fracking victory? Definitely not, because this text allows nationwide excepting four test probes for scientific purposes and the moratorium runs only for five years, enough time for the fracking lobby to change the public opinion. The German Green Party and Labour Party, historically against fracking, didn’t vote the text and call for a complete and definitive ban.